Hannibal's house (that Jono clearly thinks is his), Sunday

[sharp_as_knives]

Despite Hannibal's former office well on its way to being converted to a workout room, Jono had gone out running today. Since it generally took him a while, Hannibal had decided it would be the perfect time for a very personal meal.

After his run, Jono had worked out. And then headed for the sauna. Hannibal sent him a bit of amused approval as he plated his lunch, then let him have his time alone - his wrappings hadn't gone back on in over a week now, but he had needed a bit more decompression time after returning home. It was a work in progress.

Meanwhile, he was going to enjoy his pot au feu - marrow bones to one side with some very good salt and toasted baguette slices, tender meat sliced thin with vegetables arranged nicely among the slices, and just a bit of mustard and horseradish swirled in.

Bon(e) appetit was probably too obvious a pun, wasn't it? Never mind, then.



[OOC: WARNING - CANNIBALISM. Contents of Hannibal's meal (and thus the discussion about it) very much NFB.]

Comments

[sharp_as_knives]

Vicious? Not at all. It was merely turning ugliness into art. Redeeming the irredeemable. Perhaps a bit of a nose thumbed in their face, but Hannibal was rarely vicious. Viciousness caused too many mistakes.

"For each one in here, there is one fewer out there," he pointed out. "One section of lives made more pleasant by its absence." Not to mention any that were discouraged by the artistic displays he left behind. He shrugged. "But that isn't what I bring home. What I bring home is only material."

[furnaceface]

//Only material?// Jono was looking over at Hannibal again, eyebrow raised. //You mean you don't think about who they were when you eat them? About what they did?//

Come to think of it, he'd never really asked if they got that much consideration once they'd made it from murder scene to roasting pan.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal shrugged. "Occasionally, perhaps, I reflect upon their improvement. But for the most part, no. I enjoy my art more than their ugliness." It wasn't their lives that made it into his memory palace; it was the artistry at their ends.

[furnaceface]

//Then they're just meat, another ingredient,// Jono murmured, and now he was reaching out to tickle Joni's belly, because she'd just rolled over and stretched, and sometimes a person just needed to spring the therapeutic cat belly trap. //I suppose if you never really think of them as people in the first place, if they never deserved that sort of consideration, that would almost seem like the logical next step...//

Some parts of his head were finding this easier to wrap around than others, go figure.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal just nodded and reached out to scratch Joni's head. She was in heaven, the tiny thing. (Beethoven was decidedly ignoring them all.) "Animals are often much more deserving."

The cats certainly agreed.

[furnaceface]

//I have yet to meet any who have convinced me otherwise,// Jono allowed. //Animals do what they do to survive. Most people, because they enjoy the way that making other people feel small makes them feel big.//

How many of humanity's worst horrors were because somebody had decided that their own lives and experiences were somehow worth so much more than somebody else's? At least when it came to animals, that wasn't generally because of a conscious decision made to not empathize.

[sharp_as_knives]

Whereas Hannibal's own horrors and art involved quite a bit of empathy - but rarely in the favor of the ones he killed.

"And some enjoy it even though it grants them nothing, and they know it will grant them nothing, and yet they persist in their rudenesses and petty cruelties." Hannibal's expression said what he thought of them. "Animals are never randomly so ugly."

[furnaceface]

//Oh, I don't know. Joni's relentless when stalking crickets,// Jono murmured, giving her tummy (so fuzzy!) another tickle. //Never did anything t'you, luv, did they?//

There was purring involved. She was already forgiven.

Little monster.

//I suppose there is a fair bit of difference between people and crickets.//

[sharp_as_knives]

People tasted better. But Hannibal was tactful enough not to say that, though he did smirk just a little, if Jono wanted to see it.

"She follows her instincts," Hannibal said. "She's a hunter." He rubbed her nose. "And she does generally eat at least part of her kills." And leave the rest smeared over the patio floor, unfortunately.

[furnaceface]

Duh, Hannibal. It was art.

//I suppose she does, at that,// Jono agreed. //Fierce little thing. And she hasn't quite figured out how to take down a flamingo, so I suppose we're still doing fine, there.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"The less glitter and feathers to clean off the front stoop, the better," Hannibal agreed.

With one last rub of Joni's head, he got back up onto the bench and got out more oil to go back to Jono's shoulders.

[furnaceface]

//Although I suppose it'd still be a step up from one of the squirrels,// Jono noted. //They'd declare war.//

And nobody wanted that.

//What a bloody strange pair we make,// he added, a little more softly. //Though I suppose neither of us would handle the mundane very well, would we?//

[sharp_as_knives]

"You know I only appreciate the finest." Hannibal set to work on Jono's back again. "The mundane isn't worth the time. And I think we make rather a striking pair, myself."

[furnaceface]

//However we present ourselves, we certainly do manage that,// Jono agreed. //Though half the time I wonder if that isn't because you dress like a cultured gentleman and I dress like a motorcycle accident burn victim who didn't learn his lesson about biking the first time...//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal chuckled. "Should I wear my leathers more often? You know I've no objections to you in a suit, either." He shook his head and pressed a line down Jono's spine. "I prefer to think we're a good pair more for our selves than for our presentation. Although the key to good presentation is contrast as much as harmony."

[furnaceface]

//... That does explain all of the plaid,// Jono teased lightly, closing his eyes and sending a little tingle of distracted appreciation Hannibal's way. //And we can hardly be blamed if a casual observer doesn't understand where our harmony comes from at a glance.//

It wasn't as though either of them wore their more monstrous sides on their sleeves for the world to see.

... Unless you counted cannibalism puns.

[sharp_as_knives]

Nobody ever counted the cannibalism puns. That was part of the fun.

"And if we should confound a few of them, perhaps they'll prove less quick to judge next time." Or it might just be extra fun to watch them process it; that was as good a reason as any.

He spread his hands wide and worked the muscles loose. "Should we have wedding rings, do you think? They are traditional, and might be useful for that, but given your tendency toward self-immolation and our general troubles day-to-day on the island and elsewhere, I'm well aware they may not be practical."

[furnaceface]

Jono's nose wrinkled a bit at that. Ah, self-immolation. Not his favourite pastime, but definitely something he had done on more than one occasion, yes. It had its uses, okay?

//Oh, there will be rings,// he declared, all the same. //If we need to have a proper wedding and invite people and do the whole... parading down an aisle... thing... before entertaining guests at a reception to wrap the whole ordeal up, you had better be putting a ring on my finger for the trouble.//

And vice-versa, of course.

//I'll take it off and pass it to somebody before I self-immolate the next time. Practicality issue solved.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal laughed. "Rings it is. You realize that does mean shopping for them; there's only so much you can do online. Although perhaps we could go to the same world as the library - that would leave fewer questions."

[furnaceface]

Jono raised a hand (which was at the end of an increasingly relaxed, somewhat noodly arm) to point a finger of approval in Hannibal's direction as well as he was able considering the awkward angle.

//Good idea,// he decided. //On top of everything else, the last thing we need to deal with would be questions.//

Aside from the useful ones about ring size and gem cut and so on.

[sharp_as_knives]

Well, the usual wedding ring would have no gems. Then again, they had just (re-)established that neither of them cared for the usual.

"I'll check the places I know of from my world, and see if they exist there, then do a bit of research on the best other places. Then we can plan a time to go."

[furnaceface]

//Sounds like a plan,// Jono murmured. //One more thing to add to the to-do list. Seems fairly straightforward, at least.//

... Jono didn't go ring-shopping often, clearly.

[sharp_as_knives]

And Hannibal wasn't going to disabuse him of the notion. He was finally getting him relaxed; the actual process of ring shopping would wait. Anyway, there were other marriage preparations to make.

"I've already procured some decorators' names and suggestions, along with quotes for the paint and minor renovations that the Boards will need. The contractors are loving us." A sauna, heated floors, a new extension for an office, not to mention the initial complete renovation of the place...he was making a large slug very happy.

[furnaceface]

Jono was cracking open one eye and glancing back at Hannibal again.

//The Boards'll need renovations?//

What kind of renovations could his theatre possibly need to accommodate some people walking down the aisle and standing in front of an audience?

[sharp_as_knives]

"The Boards are fine for community theater and talent shows, but they could use a coat of paint and a few minor fixes to look truly wonderful," Hannibal pointed out. "It seems as good a time as any to do it before we have friends from several different worlds coming together to see us married."

Hannibal and Jono's conceptions of weddings seemed to have a bit of disconnect.